Wedding DJ in the San Francisco Bay Area
DJ Soviet Snack is a wedding DJ based in the San Francisco Bay Area, playing receptions in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and the surrounding counties. Every booking includes a sound system scaled to the room, MC duties and a wireless mic for toasts. The set is built from what your guests say they want to hear, and you approve it before the night.
What the booking covers
- Four hours of reception coverage, from the moment guests enter the room to the last dance. Extra hours are quoted by the hour.
- The sound system, the music through dinner, announcements and introductions.
- A wireless mic for the toasts.
- Cocktail hour in the same space, on the same system. A cocktail hour in a separate space needs its own sound, and that goes in the quote.
- A song made for the two of you, opt in, approved by you, yours to keep.
You approve the set list before the night
Your guests answer eleven questions about music, about two minutes on a phone. Their answers become a draft set. I curate the draft, you read it, you change what you want, and you approve it. Your must-play and do-not-play lists override everything else, including the guests.
The approved list is the plan, not a script: on the night I play it live and read the room, inside the rules you set.
Nothing on your do-not-play list gets played because somebody's cousin asked nicely.
Ceremony sound
Ceremony sound is not something I offer. The booking starts at the reception. If your ceremony needs a mic and speakers for the officiant and the vows, plan for the venue's system or a separate vendor, and say so early so the timeline accounts for it.
The music
Bay Area weddings are multilingual and multigenerational, and most DJ sites do not say what they play. The range here covers Eastern European and Russian, Latin, South Asian, and the standard American wedding canon. Your grandmother's table and your college friends' table get their songs from the same set.
The questionnaire asks your guests what languages they speak, so the set is built in the languages the room actually speaks rather than the one the DJ assumes. If your two families sing along to different things, that is the normal case here, not a special request.
A song made for the two of you
Every booking includes one, and most couples take the custom edit: the songs you love, cut into a single piece for the entrance, the first dance or the last dance. A full original track, written for you, is the other option. It is opt in and it starts with a conversation.
You hear it and approve it before the night, it plays at the moment you choose or not at all, and the file is yours to keep. It takes lead time, so it is arranged when you book.
The released tracks on the Listen page are evidence that I produce music. A song made for a couple stays private.
From booking to the night
Get a quote for your date.
Send the date, the venue if you know it, and roughly how many guests. I reply with availability and a quote.
Hold the date.
A signed agreement and a deposit hold it.
The planning conversation.
The timeline, the moments that matter, your must-play and do-not-play lists, whether you want the song, and the venue's sound policy.
The guest link goes out.
You send it with your RSVPs or whenever you choose. Guests answer on their phones, in about two minutes.
You approve the set list.
I draft it from the answers, curate it, and send it to you with time to change it.
The run sheet.
I write one and hand it to your coordinator or host. If they run their own, I work from theirs.
The night.
I play it live.
For planners and venues
- Insurance. A certificate of insurance is available on request.
- Arrival and setup. Setup is complete before guests enter the room. The arrival time is on the run sheet and agreed with your coordinator or host.
- Power. One standard grounded outlet near the DJ position, not shared with the kitchen. If the venue is unsure which circuit, I confirm it with them.
- Footprint. A table and the speakers, sized to the room. Send a floor plan and I will mark the position.
- Attire. Suit, or whatever the dress code says. The mascot stays on the website.
- Music runs continuously. From doors to last dance, dinner included. No dead air between speeches.
- Lighting. Not owned. Rented in on request and quoted separately.
- Vendor meal. Appreciated, not required.
- Venue sound policy. At a venue, the venue's sound policy governs, and I confirm it with the venue in advance. A house rule of music off at ten is the rule.
- The run sheet. You get a written one from me before the night. If you run your own, I work from yours.
Explicit lyrics
Your call, set before the night. The default is clean versions through dinner and the versions you choose after that. If you do not want explicit versions at any point, say so once and it holds for the whole night, requests included.
Questions couples ask
What is included with every booking?
A sound system scaled to the room, MC duties, a wireless mic for the toasts, and a song made for the couple or the guest of honor. Standard coverage is four hours, with extra hours available by the hour.
How is the music chosen?
Your guests answer an eleven question music questionnaire on their phones, which takes about two minutes. I draft the set from their answers, curate it, and send it to you to approve before the night. On the night I play it live and read the room. The whole process is on the how it works page.
Who actually picks the music?
Your guests supply the raw material, I do the curating, and you have the final say. Your must-play and do-not-play lists override everything else. What gets played is a set I built and you approved, played live.
We have songs we need to hear and songs we never want to hear. How does that work?
You give me both lists in the planning conversation. The must-play list goes into the set at the moments you choose. The do-not-play list is absolute: not played, not played as a request, and not played because the floor asks for it.
Do our guests have to answer the questionnaire?
No. It is optional, takes about two minutes, and needs no app or account. Guests confirm an email address once so each person answers once, and the answers are deleted after the event. The more people answer, the better the draft, but a set gets built either way.
Do you provide ceremony sound?
No. Coverage starts at the reception. If your ceremony needs a mic and speakers, plan for the venue's system or a separate vendor, and tell me early so the timeline reflects it.
How many hours, and what if the party runs long?
Four hours is the base. Extra hours are available and quoted by the hour. If you already know you want six, say so in the quote request and it is priced from the start.
Do you provide lighting?
Not from my own inventory. Dance floor lighting and uplighting can be rented in for your event on request and are quoted separately.
Are you insured?
A certificate of insurance is available on request. If your venue needs one on file, send me their requirements.
What holds a date?
A signed agreement and a deposit. Until both are in, the date is open.
What is your policy on explicit lyrics?
Yours. The default is clean versions through dinner and the versions you choose after that. If you want no explicit versions at all, say so once and it holds for the night, requests included.
What happens if it rains?
Electronics and rain do not mix, so an outdoor setup needs cover and dry power from the start, not a tarp at the last minute. Where the setup goes if the weather turns is decided with your venue or coordinator in advance and written into the run sheet.
What is the custom song?
Every booking includes one. Most couples take the custom edit: the songs you love, cut into a single piece for the entrance, the first dance or the last dance. A full original track is the other option. It is opt in, built from a conversation, and you hear and approve it before the night. It plays at a moment you choose, or not at all, and the file is yours.
What about the venue's sound rules, or a curfew?
At a venue, the venue's policy governs and I confirm it in advance. For a backyard or private property, the city's rules apply, and they differ more than people expect. The sound ordinance guide covers seven Bay Area cities with sources and check dates.
Get a quote for your date
Send the date, the occasion and what you know about the venue. I reply with availability and a quote.